My Advice to New Mothers #ComfortsForBaby

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When I gave birth to my first child I had no idea what to expect and read a several books in which feel more prepared.  Nothing can really prepare you for what it is like to actually be a parent until you are one. I’ll never forget staying up most of the night trying to get my one day old baby to wake up long enough to nurse. I knew he wasn’t supposed go too long without eating and the nursing staff had told me to wake him if he didn’t get up on his own. I kept trying but like many newborns he kept falling asleep. I got almost no rest that night. I was exhausted but I didn’t want to fail at being a mother my first night in.

Now that I’m an experienced mom I chuckle at the scenario. As soon as my second child was born 17 months after my first, I felt confident as a mom. This confidence grew even more with my third and I’ve found myself much more laid back.

My Advice to New Mothers:

Don’t sweat the small stuff. My first son didn’t start walking until he was almost 17 months old. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he just wasn’t interested. Once he started walking he just took off. My second son started walking at 9 months and was always on the go. My third son is now 9 months old and is pulling up on stuff and loves to stand. My guess is he’ll be walking by 12 months. Some first time parents would be really concerned if there child was walking late.  It may say something about their personality but in the grand scheme of things it hasn’t affected anything at all. As long as your child’s doctor isn’t concerned, don’t sweat it because…

Each child is different.  What works for one won’t work for another. This may mean you have to use slightly different parenting styles for each your kids. Save the judgement of other parents because you can’t figure out why someone else is having difficulty. Perhaps you found it easy to potty train your child or were blessed with a child who has never had a tantrum.  If a friend is struggling, show your support rather than brag about your own child. It doesn’t automatically make them a bad parent.  Their child may be more strong willed.

Must have baby products vary by child.  There are many baby products every child have needs such as diapers but there are others that depend upon the baby.

My first son spit up like crazy. I had to have a bib on him and a burp cloth handy all the time or I’d be changing his clothes (and mine) several times a day. I thought you could never have enough of those. My second child spit up a lot as well, although nearly as much as my first. My third child almost never spits up. I rarely need a burp cloth and he never wears a bib except to eat because he doesn’t need one.

This applies to so many different baby products like bouncers, swings, activity centers and more. One baby will love to be swaddled and swing and another may hate these things. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy any of these products but it helps to know that upfront your baby might not like something, even if lots of other babies love it.

Travel armed with necessities . That means snacks, small toys and other such things to keep your child busy. This has saved us many a time on a long trip, at restaurants or waiting in a doctors office. Pick healthier options that take a while to eat such as yogurt covered raisins.

I hate to admit that I used to judge parents that allowed their small children to play with their phones but now, I’m not above letting my boys play Angry Birds in a restaurant when I know they have reached their limits and are tired and hungry.

Pick your battles. If you don’t, you may find yourself yelling all the time. Consider what is most important to you and make those rules. Some of our rules include holding an adult’s hand (or onto the cart) in a parking lot and no toys at the dinner table that we don’t bend on. Other things we are more flexible. Do I actually want my son to play with the lego ship he built in the bathtub? No. But is it a big deal? Not really. So we let him.

Take time to enjoy the every day moments. When other parents tell you that the time goes so fast, it is true! When you are sleep deprived and strapped for time you start to look forward to when it will get easier. But before you know it, they will become little adults and you’ll wonder where your baby went. Treasure those moments because once they are gone, they are gone.

As an experienced and savvy mom, I’ve learned to juggle multiple things at once, and do it well!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Comforts For Baby. The opinions and text are all mine.